Review: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel

Update as of 8/31: I have received a few comments stating that Miracle Gel should not be used with a base coat. I will be testing it again without a base coat and updating this post with any new findings.

Update as of 9/9: I painted my nails with this again on Thursday, September 4th. I made sure NOT to use a base coat and to paint my nails during the day so that natural light could “do the rest” as the packaging says. Sadly, I did not notice any difference whatsoever in the performance of this product. My nails look almost identical to the picture in my original review, and this is after only four full days of wear. My opinion is still that this is a gimmicky product that doesn’t live up to its claims. I also wonder why, if in fact this should not be used with a base coat, it’s not stated anywhere on the packaging. I’m really sorry everyone! I was really hoping I’d have better results to share the second time around! Original post is below:

I was so excited when I saw a commercial for this. So excited that the very next day, I went to Target and bought it. I’ve been interested in gel manicures for a couple years now, but never really had an occasion to get one. My job is really hard on my nails, so I feel like manicures are wasted on me anyway, but I feel like it makes it easy to test the durability and longevity of nail polishes. In Target, the display was very picked over, and the only choices were this dusty purple (#270 “Street Flair”), a dark forest green, and a bubblegum pink. I wasn’t crazy about any of them, but this one seemed the least ugly, so I went with it.

I had time to paint my nails Tuesday, so I pulled this out and read the box. Its claims: “No UV/LED light needed, Dries like a regular nail polish, increased wear & durability over time, removes easily with regular nail polish remover, and up to 14 days of color & shine.” The only directions are to paint your nails with two layers of the gel color, then one layer of the gel top coat, then “let natural light do the rest.” I did this after first applying the Sally Hansen Double Duty base coat that I always use. Now, I’ve never had a gel manicure, but I know what they should look like. To me, this looked like any other nail polish. To be fair, the box says that it “dries like a regular nail polish”. The top coat did provide a nice shine, and it dried very quickly.

The next day I had to work. Like I said earlier, my job can be pretty hard on my nails. I sometimes have to open a lot of cardboard boxes and peel off a lot of stickers, so I commit the cardinal sin of using my nails as tools quite often. Other nail polishes have survived a day at my job, this one, sadly, did not. I noticed about half way through the day that the polish around the tips of my nails was wearing away. I was so disappointed! Throughout the next two days, the tips continued to wear down, and I noticed some dents and tiny scratches on the surface of the polish. On Saturday, it started to chip away in the middle of my nail. I’m not sure that’s ever happened to me before. This is what my nails looked like on Sunday evening. This would be after five days of wear.

I’m sad to say that this product was a huge disappointment, especially for the $14.99 price tag. I found its claims of “increased wear & durability over time” and “up to 14 days of color & shine” to be completely bogus. The only pros are that the wide brush makes it easy to apply, and that it dries quickly. Sadly, it performed worse than some nail polishes I’ve used that don’t have any of Miracle Gel’s lofty claims.

Have you tried Miracle Gel? What did you think? Part of me hopes I just got a dud! Have you been seriously disappointed by any other products lately?

Definitely give it another go minus base coat. It’s not supposed to be used with this product. Also, it cures best if you can go out into some natural sunlight for at least five mins after applying the top coat. I’m hard on my nail with my work and it has lasted me almost 6 days now with a minor chip, which I think was a spot I missed with the top coat.

[…] a base coat or a top coat, I don’t care what the claims are. You can see my review of the Sally Hanson Miracle Gels where I had some people telling me they might work better without a base coat like the box claimed […]